Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-03) announced that Kentucky will receive over $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2023 funding from the historic Infrastructure Law to strengthen roads and bridges across the state.
"This massive investment in our infrastructure was a key element of the Build Back Better agenda crafted in partnership with President Biden, and I am thrilled to have helped deliver this money to Kentucky," said Yarmuth. "This funding will repair our roadways, improve commute times, reduce pollution, and create good jobs right here in our Commonwealth. We need a safer, stronger, and smarter infrastructure system, and today's announcement is a monumental step forward in achieving that goal. I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Beshear and local leaders as this transformational funding is deployed across Kentucky."
The new funding for Kentucky announced today comes from twelve initiatives under the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the upcoming fiscal year. Kentucky's allocation is part of a nearly $60 billion tranche from the Department of Transportation to support critical infrastructure in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Each state and territory will have the flexibility to determine how these funds can best address longstanding needs.
FHWA apportionment for Kentucky includes:
National Highway Performance Program -- $505,559,635
Surface Transportation Block Grant Program -- $245,947,930
Bridge Formula Program -- $94,549,890
Highway Safety Improvement Program -- $53,316,722
PROTECT Formula Program -- $24,936,387
National Highway Freight Program -- $23,503,503
Carbon Reduction Program -- $21,930,357
Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement -- $15,225,167
National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program -- $14,793,712
Appalachian Development Highway System -- $13,946,455
Railway-Highway Crossings Program -- $4,010,130
Metropolitan Planning -- $3,408,723
President Biden and the Congress enacted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help rebuild our nation, while continuing to power America's strong, steady economic recovery. This law included the single largest dedicated investment in surface transportation infrastructure since the construction of the Interstate Highway System: creating good-paying jobs while improving the safety and efficiency of our roadways. Republicans overwhelmingly opposed this law, with 200 House Republicans voting no.
"America's roads and bridges are the vital arteries of our transportation system, connecting people and goods across the country," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "Because of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, today we are sending historic levels of funding to every state to help modernize the roads and bridges Americans rely on every day."
Decades of underinvestment has left Kentucky's roads and bridges in poor condition, causing longer commute times, higher car maintenance costs, and more pollution in neighborhoods. Nationwide, the United States ranks 13th globally in terms of the quality of our infrastructure, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the condition of our infrastructure a grade of C-.
Communities across the country are already feeling the transformative impact of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law:
- The Bridge Formula Program has supported repairs on over 2,400 bridges.
- The Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula Program has funded over $200 million of projects in 21 states.
- The Highway Safety Improvement Program supported improvements on more than 5,300 projects, including a total of 155 roundabout projects throughout the country that will reduce the number of traffic conflict points.
- The National Highway Performance Program has funded more than 6,000 projects to improve safety and efficiency.
Categories: Kentucky, Government & Policy